Oglala Lakota County is 64th of 66 counties in South Dakota in terms of Median Household Income. The Median Household Income in 2015 was $30,391 up from $27,279 in 2014. The county ranks 44th of 66 counties for Median Household Income of those aged 65+, with median income of $29,306 in 2015.

Oglala Lakota County has the highest rate of poverty in South Dakota with 44.2 percent of individuals living in poverty. The number of people living in poverty in Oglala Lakota County in 2015 was 6,329.

People living in Oglala Lakota County are 26.9 percent housing cost burdened. Housing Cost Burden is defined by a household paying 30 percent or more of their income on monthly housing costs. South Dakota’s average is slightly lower than Oglala Lakota County at 24.5 percent, but the national average is much higher, at 33.3 percent.

Agriculture & Resources

According to the 2012 U.S. Department of Agriculture Census, there are 174 farms in Oglala Lakota County totaling 1,101,176 acres of agricultural land. The average farm or ranch was 6,329 acres. 87 percent of farmland was devoted to pasture in Oglala Lakota County and the number of farms engaged in cattle production was 123. Between 2007 and 2012, the number of farms devoted to agriculture decreased by 30 percent. The market value of agricultural products sold in the county rose 63 percent, to $32,288,000 from $19,803,000 in 2007. Livestock accounted for 73 percent of all sales. The amount of government payments farms received totaled $1,722,000, up by 44 percent since 2007. The average principal operator of a farm was 58 years old and was most likely male and Native American. 26 women were principal operators of farms. Oglala Lakota County was ranked 7th for horse and pony production in the state and 12th for bison production.

Homeownership in Oglala Lakota County is 52.7 percent. This means that more than half of households in Oglala Lakota County are owner households, or 1,545 of 2,933 total households. This rate is lower than both the national rate of 63.0 percent, and the state rate of 68.2 percent.

People living in Oglala Lakota County are 26.9 percent housing cost burdened. Housing Cost Burden is defined by a household paying 30 percent or more of their income on monthly housing costs. South Dakota’s average is slightly lower than Oglala Lakota County at 24.5 percent, but the national average is much higher, at 33.3 percent.

Tourism

Oglala Lakota County accounts for 3.4 percent of taxable state tourism sales, ranking 6th of 66 South Dakota Counties. In 2015, the county made $25,310,678 in taxable tourism sales. To see where other counties rank, see our chart on the South Dakota Dashboard.